Friday 3rd of January
The Most Holy Name of Jesus
“Everyone must try to be as pure as Christ.”
1 John 2:29-3:6
The letters of John address and deal with hostile insiders within the community who were polluting the faithful. These were very serious issues that developed later into heresies. These antagonists denied the true and full incarnation of the Son of God in the man Jesus. They also held claim to a higher truth greater than Jesus’ teaching and therefore downplayed the need to live a moral life.
We are perhaps more familiar with I Jn 3: 1: “See how great is the love the Father has lavished on us, we are called children of God, and this is what we really are.” If we keep in mind this context, then we can translate it to: “If we are children of God, then we must live a life accordingly.” How do we live out this identity of being God’s children in our practical daily life? John wants to make it clear to the community that believing we are children of God means following the way of Jesus. Now more than ever, we must be mindful of what teachings we follow on the internet, certain websites, and even online preachers. The main question is, how are they helping me to live a godly and moral life?